Russell Creek Pet Clinic and Hospital

Veterinary Dentistry, Medicine & Surgery

Grooming, Boarding, Prescription Diets, Endoscopy, Radiology, Behavioral Consultations, Wellness testing, Vaccinations, Spays/Neuters, and Geriatric Care 

9040 Independence Pkway  Plano ,Tx 75025

214-547-8387

We are proud to provide individualized care to meet your needs and those of your pet.

 

Available at last!!!

A Feline Heartworm Test

 

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As dog owners know, for years there has been an effective test to check for Heartworms in dogs. Checking your dog's blood for heartworms is now part of everyone's routine annual exam. But there has not ever been a test sensitive enough for cats UNTIL NOW.  And the best part is, we can do this test right here at the Russell Creek Pet Clinic and Hospital. It doesn't need to be sent to an outside lab. It can tell us in a few minutes with only a couple of tiny drops of blood if your kitty has an adult heartworm infection.

This new test differs from ones we might have had done at a lab in that we could only test for ANTIBODIES before. This would only tell us that your kitty had been EXPOSED to heartworms. Since even indoor cats have an equal chance of being bitten by a heartworm-carrying mosquito as outdoor cats, being EXPOSED to heartworms was not a definitive diagnosis.   Studies done in Texas and North Carolina on cats with respiratory problems have shown an active heartworm infection rate of 9% (heartworms living inside of the cat), while 26% tested positive as being EXPOSED to heartworms (bitten by mosquitoes that injected heartworm babies into the cat).  mosquito_lg_wht.gif (13832 bytes)

This test is an ANTIGEN test. It tells us that chemicals that are excreted by adult heartworms (even JUST ONE) are present in the cat's blood. We recommend that any cat that spends more than 50% of its time outdoors be tested IMMEDIATELY; especially if you have not gotten them on a heartworm preventative, now that this important diagnostic tool is finally available.  The American Heartworm Society recommends that all cats be tested, and we would like you to include this test in your pet's regular annual exam and vaccine visit.  Even cats that have been on a heartworm preventative should be tested to make sure that we are truly safe from the sudden death that can occur. Studies show that indoor cats are just as likely to be bitten as outdoor cats.  Flying insects seem to have the ability to end up inside our homes even though we keep our doors and windows closed and screened. Longhair cats seem to have more resistance to bites than shorthair cats.

There is still no treatment to kill heartworms in cats as there is for dogs. Heartworms can live 2-3 years inside your cat's circulatory system. There have been some cases where the heartworms have been surgically removed from cats' hearts.  Usually, the symptoms (coughing, difficulty breathing, vomiting, weight loss, lethargy and anorexia), are treated with medications and heartworm preventatives such as Revolution® are also recommended to prevent re-infection, and for your other cats AND dogs, as their likelihood of infection is increased having a "positive" in the house with them.

We continue to look for improvements in the level of medicine and service that we can provide you and your pets. We are proud to be among the first to offer this test in North Texas.

Thanks for stopping by planopethospital.com. Please let us know if we can be of service to you or your pets by calling or info@planopethospital.com

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